Shloka 93

भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ९६: सौभद्रस्य आक्रमणम्, अलम्बुसस्य प्रतिविधानम्

Abhimanyu’s assault; Alambusa’s counter-engagement

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार चलनेवाले उस रोमांचकारी संग्राममें दुर्योधनकी विशाल सेना प्राय: युद्धसे विमुख होकर भाग गयी ।।

Transliteration

iti prakāraṃ calanavāle tasmin romāñcakāri saṅgrāme duryodhanasya viśālā senā prāyaḥ yuddhāt vimukhībhūya palāyitā | iti śrīmahābhārate bhīṣmaparvaṇi bhīṣmavadhaparvaṇi saṅkulyuddhe trinavatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Tandis que ce choc, qui faisait se hérisser les cheveux, enflait au cœur de la mêlée confuse, la vaste armée de Duryodhana—le courage brisé—tourna le dos au combat et, pour l’essentiel, prit la fuite. Ainsi s’achève le quatre-vingt-seizième chapitre, « La Bataille Confuse », du Bhīṣma Parva du Mahābhārata, dans la section concernant la mise à mort de Bhīṣma.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'romāñcakāri', 'definition': 'thrilling, hair-raising

• causing horripilation (from intense fear/excitement)'}, {'term': 'saṅgrāma', 'definition': 'battle, armed conflict'}, {'term': 'viśālā senā', 'definition': 'a vast army/host'}, {'term': 'prāyaḥ', 'definition': 'for the most part, generally, almost'}, {'term': 'yuddhāt', 'definition': 'from battle

• away from fighting'}, {'term': 'vimukha (vimukhībhūya)', 'definition': 'turned away, averted

• becoming disinclined or withdrawing'}, {'term': 'palāyitā (palāy-)', 'definition': 'fled, ran away'}, {'term': 'saṅkula-yuddha', 'definition': 'a confused/entangled battle

• melee with disorder and intermingling'}, {'term': 'bhīṣma-parvan', 'definition': 'the book/section of the Mahābhārata centered on Bhīṣma and the early Kurukṣetra war'}, {'term': 'bhīṣma-vadha-parvan', 'definition': 'the sub-section dealing with the fall/slaying of Bhīṣma'}]

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Mahābhārata
• Bhīṣma Parva
• Bhīṣma-vadha Parva

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how fear and loss of resolve can unravel even a large force; numbers alone do not sustain dharma in war—steadfastness, discipline, and leadership do.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that amid a chaotic and terrifying melee, Duryodhana’s troops largely lose the will to fight and retreat, marking the close of the chapter describing the confused battle.